Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located in Vernon, Vermont, on the Connecticut River border with New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The plant was owned and operated by Entergy Nuclear, a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, and generated electricity for the New England region, including Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The plant's nuclear reactor was a General Electric boiling water reactor design, similar to those used at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan and Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Pennsylvania. The plant was connected to the New England power grid via ISO New England.

Introduction

The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant was one of several nuclear power plants in the United States, including Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire, and Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in Connecticut. The plant's design and construction were overseen by General Electric, Bechtel Group, and Stone & Webster, with United States Atomic Energy Commission (predecessor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) regulatory oversight. The plant's nuclear safety features were designed to meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards, similar to those at Indian Point Energy Center in New York and Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. The plant's cooling system used water from the Connecticut River, similar to Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia and South Texas Nuclear Generating Station in Texas.

History

The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant began construction in 1967 and was completed in 1972, with President Richard Nixon and Governor Thomas Salmon of Vermont in attendance at the dedication ceremony. The plant was originally owned by a consortium of utility companies, including Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation, New England Power Company, and Central Vermont Public Service Corporation. In 2002, the plant was sold to Entergy Nuclear, a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, which also owned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station and Indian Point Energy Center. The plant's nuclear reactor was designed to operate for 40 years, with a license renewal process overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, similar to Surry Nuclear Power Plant in Virginia and North Anna Nuclear Generating Station in Virginia.

Operations

The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant operated at a capacity of 620 megawatts, generating enough electricity to power approximately 400,000 homes in the New England region. The plant's nuclear reactor used uranium nuclear fuel, which was supplied by Cameco and AREVA. The plant's cooling system used water from the Connecticut River, which was also used by Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant's neighboring hydroelectric power plant, the Vernon Hydroelectric Dam. The plant's electricity output was transmitted to the New England power grid via ISO New England, which also managed the output of other power plants in the region, including Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant and Millstone Nuclear Power Plant. The plant's nuclear safety features were designed to meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards, similar to those at Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan and Duke Energy's Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina.

Controversies

The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant was the subject of several controversies during its operation, including concerns over nuclear safety, radioactive waste disposal, and environmental impact. In 2010, the plant's nuclear reactor experienced a tritium leak, which was similar to leaks that occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan and Indian Point Energy Center in New York. The plant was also the subject of a lawsuit filed by the State of Vermont, which sought to close the plant due to concerns over nuclear safety and radioactive waste disposal. The plant's decommissioning process was overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which also regulated the decommissioning of other nuclear power plants in the United States, including San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California and Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant in Florida.

Decommissioning

The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant ceased operation in 2014, and its decommissioning process is currently underway. The plant's nuclear reactor is being dismantled, and its radioactive waste is being stored on-site in dry cask storage facilities, similar to those used at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts and Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. The plant's decommissioning process is expected to take several decades to complete, with a total cost estimated to be around $1.2 billion, which will be funded by Entergy Nuclear and overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The plant's site is expected to be restored to a greenfield condition, similar to the site of the former Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Connecticut, which was decommissioned in 2007. The decommissioning process will also involve the removal of radioactive contamination from the site, which will be overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.